Thursday, 23 August 2012

Syria and the Lessons of 1914.

'Hillary Clinton threatens Russia and
China ‘will pay a price’ for their vetoes over sanctions against Syria.
But how does Washington intend to punish these nuclear-armed states?
Tough talk requires a follow-through, otherwise it is a sign of
weakness. Tying Washington’s prestige to who controls Damascus risks
subordinating America’s interests to one faction in a civil war....

The West’s support for humanitarian
intervention in civil wars cuts no ice in the East. Russia and China see
human rights and democracy as threats to their regimes and regard such
rhetoric as a cover for grabbing resources while the West still can.

This puts East and West on a collision course. Our leaders are talking past each other.

This
distrust is made worse by the fact America’s power is declining.
Instability follows because regional players are not pawns as they were
in the Cold War, and sometimes they set the pace.

In
1914, the really big powers let their smaller allies make the running.
During the Cold War, Washington and Moscow reined in their reckless
allies. Now, however, East and West are squaring off over Syria today,
and Iran probably tomorrow.

Moscow
and Beijing don’t really control the Assad regime, let alone Iran’s
nuclear ambitions. Washington knows Israel will make its own decisions
and has limited influence over the Saudi-Qatar axis which is pouring
money, weapons and even special forces into Syria....'

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About the Blog

This blog is mostly about the New Great Game for resources across the globe, the impact of oil and gas dependency upon both Britain and the oil rich nations, the purported interconnections between foreign policy and terrorism, the growth of Islamism and the mendacious nature of much 'Public Diplomacy'. It also seeks to anticipate the forthcoming threats to world peace by discerning the true nature of the new emerging psychopathologies that come with the struggle over diminishing natural resources, global warming, proxy conflicts and the prospect of civilisational collapse in regions such as the Middle East, Central Africa and the Maghreb.